Title: Same Story; Different Day: Greatest Challenges of Women Working in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration

Author: Glenna G. Bower, Mary A. Hums, Heidi Grappendorf

Pages: 12-39

Summary:

Women continue to be
under-represented in administrative positions in intercollegiate athletics.
Women in this study offered unique insights into challenges they face in the
field. This study explored career profiles and challenges facing women working
in intercollegiate athletic administration. The subjects were women working in
intercollegiate athletic administration across National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) divisions I, II, III; National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); National Christian College Athletic
Association (NCCAA); Junior Colleges; and Canadian Colleges. The study, which
utilized the Female Sport Manager Career Survey, posed two research questions:
(a) what are the profiles of females working in athletic administration?, and
(b) what are the gender specific greatest challenges that women working in
intercollegiate athletic administration face? This study included all 1834
women working in intercollegiate athletic administration listed by the National
Directory of College Athletics in 2012, of which 28.0% (N=514) provided usable
responses. Frequencies were calculated for the demographics using SPSS 20.0 and
the qualitative data were analyzed using HyperResearch 2.8. Several practical
implications for women wanting to work in intercollegiate athletic
administration originated from this study including developing networks, being
prepared to balance work and family, being aware of stereotyping, and gaining
as much experience as possible.